BY JAMES CARELESS

StandardAero has been a partner of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for over sixty years and now this Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) provider is gearing-up to help support Canada’s new fleet of F-35s.

With six facilities in Canada and many more in the United States and around the globe, StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent providers of aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. It is also a longtime partner of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), playing a key role in keeping its aircraft safe and ready for duty.

“StandardAero’s partnership with the RCAF began in 1962 when we were awarded the T56 turbine engine maintenance contract for the CC-130 aircraft,” said Bren t Ostermann, StandardAero’s Vice President of Product Assurance and Quality. “With this cornerstone program still in place, StandardAero has expanded its portfolio to include the CC-130’s propellers, along with multiple other engine lines. Today, we provide MRO services on the AE 2100, T56, CT7/T700, PW100 and PT6A/T engines for the Canadian military, as well as for other partner nations. In fact, StandardAero currently supports more than 20 military operators worldwide, with the total value of this work worth over $1 billion annually.”

123 YEARS OF SERVICE

The Wright brothers first flew in 1903. Eight years later, StandardAero’s parent company was established. It was opened in Winnipeg by Charles Pearce and William Bickell under the name of ‘Standard Machine Works; repairing, overhauling and rebuilding car, truck and tractor engines.

As aviation caught on, things changed. In the 1930s, Standard Machine Works opened an Aero Engine Division that rebuilt its first aircraft engine (an Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah piston engine) in April 1936. By year’s end, the company had become an authorized aircraft engine service station for Pratt & Whitney Canada, de Havilland, Jacobs, and more.

By 1949, this company’s aircraft engine MRO business was so strong that Standard Machine Works’s Aero Engine Division was rebranded as Standard Aero Engine Limited. It moved into turbine engines in 1960 and kept growing from there. Now known as StandardAero, the company has become a global MRO powerhouse.

“Today, StandardAero offers extensive MRO services and custom solutions for business aviation, commercial aviation, military, and industrial power customers,” said Ostermann. “Our services include OEM authorized and approved MRO capabilities for aircraft and rotorcraft engines, auxiliary power units, components; airframe services including major alterations; FAA authorized avionics capabilities; comprehensive engineering services; and custom exterior and interior design, completion, and paint. We provide these capabilities through our network of specialized facilities and mobile service teams.”

WORKING WITH THE RCAF

These days, StandardAero is the selected contractor for the RCAF’s Propulsion Group Sustainment (PGS) initiative in support of their T56 engines and associated propulsion group systems used on the CC-130H Hercules and CP-140 Aurora aircraft. In this role, StandardAero is responsible for the effective implementation and delivery of airworthy, cost-effective and performance-based services that include Material, Maintenance, Program Management, Engineering, Publications and Data Management, Information Management, and Training support.

StandardAero personnel do their best to resolve the RCAF’s service issues quickly and painlessly. “For instance, in December 2023, RCAF maintenance personnel from 14 AMS requested a replacement propeller for a CP-140,” said Ostermann, “However, StandardAero Field Service representatives were able to pinpoint that the pitch lock ratchet rings would resolve the issue with the existing propeller, therefore leaving the replacement propeller available for future use, or for a deployed aircraft.”

“In March 2024, 442 Squadron had written up a maintenance snag for an Auxiliary Power Unit that was not functioning,” he continued. “StandardAero’s Field Service representatives in Comox reviewed the maintenance paperwork and determined that there were a couple of possible scenarios that allowed 442 Squadron personnel to pinpoint the correct part to remove and quickly replace it, which in turn allowed the aircraft back into service.”

INNOVATION

Innovation is a big reason for StandardAero’s continued success. “We’ve solved some of the biggest aviation challenges through ingenuity, teamwork and collaboration,” said Ostermann. “We’ve done this by focusing on teamwork, to create a supportive environment where everyone can bring their skills and perspectives to the table.”

A case in point: In partnership with Thales, StandardAero is now providing kits and installations of Stablelight — the world’s fi rst full 4-axis autopilot specifi cally engineered for Airbus H125 helicopters — starting in June 2024. Derived from Thales’ Compact Autopilot System, StableLight includes advanced autopilot features such as stabilized climb fl ight attitude recovery, auto pull-up terrain avoidance, and auto hover.

“Stablelight brings transport category autopilot capabilities to this light helicopter,” said Neena Gill, Vice President and General Manager of StandardAero’s Helicopters business unit. “Most importantly, it improves safety with its built-in safety features that can help to mitigate infl ight risks like IIMC (Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions) and CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain), while reducing pilot workload and fatigue during normal operations.”

READY FOR F-35

Supporting the F-35’s Pratt & Whitney F135 engine will soon be a new duty for the RCAF, but it is a familiar mission for StandardAero. This is because the company is already supporting the F135 engine in partnership with Pratt & Whitney for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, at the Logistics Center Woensdrecht (Airbase) in the Netherlands. This facility’s initial MRO services include depot-level fan and power module MRO work, with additional capabilities being developed to support the growing international F-35 fleet.

“We are the only Canadian MRO provider with F135 depot standup experience, having opened the first international depot to reach the milestone of Initial Depot Capability, in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Defense,” Ostermann told CDR. “Our capacity, proven experience and global relationships make StandardAero uniquely qualified to be an effective F135 engine depot partner for the RCAF. After all, StandardAero combines over a century of experience in Canada, decades of direct support to the Canadian Armed Forces, and direct experience on the F135, thanks to our Public Private Partnership with the Netherlands government at the beginning stages of the F135 engine over six years ago.”

With expertise on the F135 already in StandardAero’s wheelhouse, and a legacy of supporting the RCAF for over 60 years, this MRO is a logical partner for the Canadian Armed Forces as it deploys a new generation of sophisticated equipment across all three services.

“As always, we are ready to help keep the RCAF airborne in any way that we can,” said Brent Ostermann. “Our F135 engine know-how can help ease the addition of the F-35 into the RCAF’s fleet and take some challenges off their already-packed upgrade agenda.”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief